Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0Decatur spent less per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities
Decatur’s city government spent $106,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $586 per resident.
What stands out about how Decatur is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$586 per resident in 2022: less than 79% of them
Decatur’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($586 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $900, and the middle half spent $634–$1,190. Decatur spent less than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($17,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Decatur itself left out).
About $586 per resident a year, or $1.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Decatur reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Who’s in charge in Decatur
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Central Decatur Community School District
Decatur’s K–12 school district, shared with Davis City, Grand River, Leon, Pleasanton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,404 per pupil, $8,337 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Reach Decatur’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Decatur’s government
How much does Decatur spend per resident?
About $586 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $586 was less than 79% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Decatur’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Decatur yet.
How many people work for Decatur?
0 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,611 (about $19,332 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Decatur’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →